- 89pc want AI in balanced mix or back-of-house only
- 75pc say good hospitality depends on human staff
- Human interaction preferred at all nine touchpoints
- 67pc worry about hotel employees losing jobs to AI
- Survey gathered 3,250 travellers in July 2026
A global survey by Mews has shown that 89pc of travellers want AI used either in a balanced mix with human service or only for repetitive back-of-house tasks. The survey gathered responses from 3,250 travellers in July 2026. Seventy-five pc say good hospitality still depends on human staff.
Guests preferred human interaction at every touchpoint tested. Human interactions were preferred across nine guest-journey touchpoints. For arranging taxis, 44pc preferred a human compared to 28pc open to AI. For bar and restaurant service, 72pc preferred humans. For front-desk welcomes, 66pc preferred a physical staff member.
Approximately 59pc believe AI should take over repetitive data-entry and administrative chores. This would free up staff time to build rapport with guests. Sixty-seven pc expressed worry over hotel employees losing jobs to AI systems. Fifty-one pc would mind if a hotel reduced staff headcount specifically to adopt automation. The survey gathered data across France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, England, and the United States.
